Kanku Dai
Kanku Dai (観空大), also called Kūshankū (クーシャンク) and Kūsankū (クーサンクー) in Wado-Ryu or Kosokun (公相君) in Shito-Ryu, is an advanced Shotokan kata that is number twelve in the Shotokan syllabus. It is followed by Kanku Sho, the minor version of the two Kanku katas. The name Kushanku is used in Okinawan martial arts, and refers to Kusanku, a Chinese diplomat of Fukien who traveled to Okinawa to spread his teachings. Due to its difficulty and length of sixty-five movements, this kata is often taught to more advanced students. It is famous for its opening sequence, which is where the name for the kata comes from. It is also recognizable from its first moves, the vertical knife hand blocks, and one of its last moves, a double jump kick. Name The original name of this kata was Kusanku (which is what some other styles of karate currently call it). It was named after Kusanku, a diplomat from China, who came to Okinawa in approximately 1756. One of his students, a man named Tode Sukagama, developed a kata from Kusanku's teachings. Sukagama then taught his students this form. One of his students was named Sokon Matsumura, who later went on to teach Yasutsune Itosu Kushanku. Funakoshi, who was a student of Itosu's, developed the kata into Kanku Dai. Kanku means "to view the sky", or "survey the sky". The name comes from the opening sequence for the kata, where the practicenner puts their hands into a triangle position, and raises their hands, while looking through them. Some say that the sequence simply gathers energy from the air and brings it down to the student, giving them the strength to perform the kata. Others say that while the practicenner is looking through their hands, they are clearing their head of distractions, or viewing the world for what it is, before performing the kata. The "Dai" in the name simply means "big", or "major". Kanku Dai is the major version of the two Kanku katas, Kanku Sho being the lesser version. History In approxamently 1756, the Chinese diplomat Kusanku came to Okinawa to practice early Gung Fu. His pupil, Tode Sukagama, formed a kata from his teachings, which he called Kusanku. This kata was passed down through generations of instructors until Yasutsune Itosu taught Gichin Funakoshi, the founder of modern Shotokan karate, the kata. Funakoshi modeled Kusanku into Kanku Dai, which is widely practiced throughout Shotokan today. Kanku Dai has largely remained untouched, with only minor additions made here and there. The kata is very widely taught, and is considered by some to be one the essential black belt level katas to learn. Style Kanku Dai is a very dynamic kata, with lots of fast, hard moves. Nevertheless, the kata is still filled with mostly basic moves, although the students are expected to perform them with more depth and speed than when they were learning the Heian katas, which contain many moves from Kanku Dai. Notes Kanku Dai was one of Funakoshi's favorite katas, alongside Tekki Shodan. In his demonstrations of Shotokan to the public, Funakoshi frequently performed this kata. He said that it contained all the major aspects of karate. When Anko Itosu began creating the Heian katas, he scattered moves from Kanku Dai (along with Jion and Bassai Dai) throughout the katas. He believed that if students practiced moves from these three advanced forms, while still learning kata at a basic level, when they reached an advanced level, the katas would seem familiar. Although Kanku Dai is the longest Shotokan kata, at sixty-five moves, it is nevertheless still widely practiced, and is considered one of, if the not the most, recognizable Shotokan kata. It is a very popular kata for Bunkai study, and also a popular sport kata, mainly for its strong, fast moves, and its jump kick at the end. Instructions